12 Solid Years
by Jun-Amy196
Summary: It's been 12 years since the adventure with the ARK and Amy is now a young adult. With an invitation to a reunion to celebrate 12 years of peace she meets up with all her friends. Whilst there Shadow and Sonic fall for her. The battle over Amy's heart begins now...!


Hi everyone Jun-Amy196 here. I'm rewriting this fanfic after reading it and thinking it needed improving. I don't own any of the characters. Copyrights go to Sega and its workers. Enjoy!

**12 Solid Years **

**Amy's pov**

It's been twelve years since the ARK incident. Since then Eggman has been a no show. I think it has something to do with old age and a very unhealthy lifestyle that has been making Eggman unable to come up with evil schemes. Because of this life seems normal but I guess you could say I miss the old days when the gang would get together to defeat Eggman. But now that Eggman's gone there's no real reason why we should hang out together. While I see all of them as friends they probably see each other as working companions, no different from a day at the office.

But recently I've got an invitation to a reunion that Tails and Cream are hosting. They see the others as friends which is good I guess. It will be so good to see them again. Especially Shadow...

**Normal pov**

Amy worked at a bakery, putting her cooking skills to use. She loved spending the day kneading the dough and icing the cupcakes but most importantly watching the smiles of children grow as they bit into the delicious cake. During the events with the gang she would cook, as she was the only one who knew how to do so. Back then it was a must have skill and she took no joy in doing it then. But now cooking made her calm and relaxed for the rest of the day.

Amy had grown out of her obsession of Sonic when she realised that he was never to going have feelings for her and that she was wasting her time. She decided that being friends was better and gave up and turned her attention from love for the time being to her job. Sonic seemed cool with it but you could never really tell what he was feeling.

Then Amy went on to think about Shadow. While Amy had been head over heels for Sonic she had to admit that Shadow had been handsome. With ruby red eyes that seemed to hold a deep sense of understanding and maturity as well as intelligence. It was a shame that those eyes also held an immense amount of agony which drowned out how beautiful his eyes were. His face was good to gaze at but he always spoiled his charms with that blank expression on his face, a frown constantly on his lips.

Amy snapped out of it as she was busy decorating a cake which had gone array. Icing seemed all over the place, clumping together in big blobs. "Shoot" she cursed herself for not paying attention and sent a glance of apology to her boss. The woman who owned the cosy little bakery on the high street was an old woman and a very unfortunate person. Her husband had died about two years after the bakery opened and had made her promise to keep it going.

Their only child, a son of about thirty, whom she hadn't heard from in years after they had a big family dispute, had made no form of communication with her. What saddened Amy the most was the fact that her son had refused to meet her and had even forbidden his daughter, at the age of ten, to ever seeing her grandmother. It really sickened Amy to know that some people would rather let hatred get in the way of family.

When Amy had been searching for a job the woman's loneliness had made her want to stay. Amy had also wanted to help her keep the shop open in honour of her husband as his last wish. She sometimes felt guilty for having thoughts about leaving the shop to work somewhere else. She knew that the woman would understand and would not hold any hate to heart. But the woman reminded Amy of the grandmother she never had.

Amy was once again reminded that fact as the owner looked at her with kindness in her wise old eyes while she attended another customer. After the day had ended Amy had apologized for acting stupid said her goodbyes and went walking home.

As Amy was walking, her thoughts seemed to wonder back to the reunion that she had been invited to. She couldn't wait to see Cream and Rouge, her besties. Sometimes when she was feeling lonely she would think about the times when she would hang out with Rouge and Cream, making jokes and gossiping about anything of interest.

Her heart ached slightly in excitement at the thought of seeing them. She was so excited that she wanted to see them right now. Then a thought came into her mind. Why not? She knew where Cream lived and it was closer than Rouge's place.

With a glance at her watch, the time reading 5:25pm she turned in the opposite direction. In what seemed like a few moments later she was standing outside, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging. Their place was huge!

In front of her stood a big, strong iron gate painted, both black and gold, the points looking menacing and uninviting. On the other side of the gate was a huge house. Well it was closer to mansion or castle because of its immense size. The colour of the walls looked warm and inviting, a roof promising a life time of love and happy memories. The windows shone like crystals in the fading light of the sun.

In the front of the mansion was a fountain. Water gushed out of stony lips as pond lights danced against rocky skin. Surrounding the fountain was a flooring of gravel, a path running through it all the way to the front door, with flowers of different colours alongside it.

Amy took one more look at the place before pushing open the gates. She had the sudden sense that she was intruding. She had not come up with an excuse for her unexpected visit. She worked her brain for one; as she walked pass the fountain ignoring the spray that landed on her.

_I know. I'll just say that I've come to help with setting up the reunion. This place is so big that it will take more than two people to clean it up from top to bottom in one day _she thought as she rang the doorbell. As the _ding dong_ of the doorbell went on she could hear the sound of someone jogging and the husky, deep voice of a man who was repeatedly yelling out "I'm coming, so hold your horses".

Amy stood there for a few seconds before the door swung open and, in the way stood a two tailed yellow fox. He was a few inches taller than Amy, who was about 5 ft. 5, coming about 5ft 8. His blue eyes coldly assessed her before he recognised her and then his eyes warmed up with friendliness.

"Amy!" "Tails!" they both shouted at each other before snatching the other in a hug, giggling like little kids. When they let go they were both beaming with wide smiles on their faces, just happy to see one another. "Amy it's good to see you. Looks as if you've grown" "Thanks Tails you've grown too"

Tails had lost all hints of being the 8 year old kid she had seen as a brother but instead had become a grown man or fox. His fur had become a bit darker with age, going from a bright banana yellow to mustard yellow. Along with his height he was slim, losing that childish chub. His face looked longer and sharper and made him look more intelligent and more like an adult. But most of all, the gaze in his eyes seemed different. They hadn't changed colour but the expression in them had altered.

His gaze held a mature expression within them, making him seem wise and knowledgeable. Deep within there was warmth that made his icy blue stare seem sincere and inviting. To complete the look of intelligent inventor slash hero he wore a pair of trousers with braces over his shoulders and a jacket thrown on top.

"Come in, come in to our humble abode" Tails spoke, a light tone to his voice and a grin on his face as he moved out of the way for her to walk inside. Amy's eyes glanced around the hallway in wonder. She had never seen such a fancy chandler hanging from the ceiling appearing as if it were made out of diamonds that sparkled none stop, even in dim lighting.

"Follow me. The living room is just down this way" Tails stated, grinning at her again as he took in her surprised face, suppressing a laugh. Amy gave him a glare that wasn't too serious as Tails walked down the hallway.

Soon they entered a room which made Amy gasp in astonishment. The room was massive; no doubt about that, but inside it was filled in with all sorts of modern technology. A huge 100 inch TV sat there on the wall, its screen gleaming at her as she stared at it with wide eyes. She had always heard about these types of TV that were really expensive that only a selected amount of millionaires had. She guessed that Tails was one of those millionaires. This TV was widely known for its technology of sensing motion, meaning you could use your hand to change the volume of the TV or the programme without touching the remote.

By the TV was a selection of consoles. A Nintendo Wii U, the latest release from the company. A prototype of the PS4, looking sleek and new as well as the PS3, which only looked old compared to its successor. Amy felt as if she had gone to gaming heaven as she gazed at the shiny new consoles. She went up to the PS4 and stroked its sleek coat of black paint as excitement went through her. She knew she was being silly but she couldn't help it. Over the years she had become a game nerd, as she learnt it was a better way of passing the time.

She tore her eyes away from the PS4 and forcedly assessed the rest of the room. The sofa looked soft and comfortable its creamy skin looking inviting. The coffee table in the middle of the room was made from what looked like mahogany wood, standing strong and firm under the weight of the piles of paper, laptop and dishes that needed to be cleared away, hanging off the edge dangerously.

Amy looked at Tails, her right eyebrow raised in a question. Tails gave her a sheepish grin while saying "sometimes I watch the TV while I work or eat dinner" Amy just shrugged it off and went to clear the table away.

"Where's the kitchen" Amy asked, holding the plates in a huge stack, keeping a cautious eye on them. Tails, making no move to help her, answered "further down the hallway, third door to your left". Amy walked out the room, while Tails sorted out the stack of papers probably ideas for his new inventions.

She walked, keeping a careful grip on them, and entered into the kitchen. It was like designed to be a chef's dream kitchen. Lots of room to move about while cooking. Draws filled with all sorts of cooking utensils, some Amy knew some she didn't. Just stepping into the kitchen and already Amy had a need to cook. Her hand itched to touch the pots and pans, and make magic with her fingertips.

But she didn't do that. She found it would be rude of her to start cooking without any permission so she forced herself to stop looking at the cooking tools and put the plates away. It was only when she had placed the plates into the sink, rolling her sleeves, did she realise that she wasn't alone.

Concentrating very hard on carving out pieces of what appeared to be tonight's dinner which consisted of beef soaked in gravy and a side dish of asparagus with potatoes, was a cream coloured rabbit. She didn't seem to have noticed Amy, maybe mistaking her for Tails. Amy, a wicked grin on her face, carefully moved from the sink and towards the rabbit being very cautious about being seen. As Amy stood behind the rabbit she took a deep breath and was about to shout before someone said "Amy don't you dare think about it"

Amy stood there awkwardly with her mouth still open wide when the rabbit turned around, a small smug smirk on her face. The rabbit had creamy white fur with brown at the tips of her ears, a patch of brown hair on her forehead and her eyelids. She had big soulful hazel brown eyes that shone with a clear light. Over the years the rabbit had become a natural beauty, a matured innocence. Her ears were tied up into a ponytail, completing the simple look she had going on with her jeans and plain top. Her figure was slim and slender, slight curves running down her sides. She was almost as tall as Amy with only a few inches between the two.

Amy closed her mouth and straightened herself out of the crouch she had positioned herself into and with a smirk on her face as she asked "How did you know it was me?". The rabbit looked at her, a responding smile on her face as she answered "Come on Amy this is me you're talking about. I've known you for a long time so I can pretty much guess what you're going to do or say" "you make it sound as if I never do anything new Cream" "Well that's true" said Cream, a grin on her face.

Amy fake pouted before pulling the rabbit into a hug, a little squeal escaping her lips as she bear hugged the rabbit. The last time she saw Cream had to about two years ago, when Cream's relationship with Tails blossomed. They had celebrated with a tub of ice cream as Cream told Amy how Tails confessed to her.

As Cream was telling her of Tails's sudden confession, Amy couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the younger girl. Amy had always dreamed of a sudden confession of undying love from her sweet Sonikku during her crazy crush over him. That dream had sort of died when she realised that Sonic would never have feelings for her but she still longed for someone to say they loved her.

Amy was brought out of her thoughts by Cream patting her arm, little pants escaping her chest. "Am…Amy…let… go of me. Cru…crushing…my chest…can't breathe. **Amy**!" Amy gasped, shocked that she had been squeezing the life out of Cream and pushed her away from herself and stared as Cream coughed and spluttered, dragging air into her deprived lungs. "I'm so sorry Cream. I spaced out for a moment and had no idea that I was crushing you" "You might have changed your clothes but you're still the same Amy" Cream said once she had stopped coughing.

Amy gave her a grin, kind of liking the fact that she hadn't changed at all. Well at least some parts of her. Amy didn't know why she was so scared of change. Maybe because of the fact that she had been living in a certain way for a long time that any disruption to that routine would scare her. It took her about a year before she could get out of the silly habit of chasing Sonic all over Station Square. During that time she had been confused about what to do for chasing Sonic had been part of her daily routine. Amy couldn't handle the change. She had been scared about it but had gotten past her fear with much difficulty.

"So what do you want me to do?" Amy asked, breaking out of her thoughts. Cream, with a little chit chat on the way, directed her into one of the spare rooms the others would be using. From the look of the luxurious double bed and the neat furniture, Amy wasn't sure if the room needed doing up. But Cream insisted because of the invisible 'dust' that was coating the furniture.

While dusting the furniture Amy started to ask questions about if anything had happened between Cream and Tails. "We're taking it really slow, little hugs and kisses here and there as well as spending evenings together in front of the TV with a glass of wine. But I guess Tails is a bit shy to take it any further than that. I mean I'm shy about that kind of stuff as well but sometimes I get frustrated with the shyness. And then there are the inventions in the lab. Tails could live down there if I let him. I don't know sometimes it seems to me he likes his inventions more than me. I mean he doesn't spend much time with me, even when I'm not working. It's as if he's forgotten that he even has a girlfriend" Cream said while wiping the dressing table's mirror, her shoulders slightly hunched and her voice thick with sadness.

Amy pitied her. It saddened her to know her friend's romance was not the happily ever after she had envisioned. What made it even worse was the fact that they loved each other so much. A few hours later and the whole house/mansion was spotless. Amy's fingers ached from scrubbing and her back was stiff from bending over for to long.

As she walked down the stairs she caught sight of Tails, sitting on the sofa hunched over the coffee table his hand dashing across the surface as if he was writing. Remembering the conversation earlier with Cream, Amy hurriedly ran down the rest of the steps and stomped into the living room.

She was going to make Tails see some sense, was going to tell him of how putting inventions before Cream was hurting her, hurting her so much that she seemed physically burdened by the weight of the pain. After a few moments of standing there, chest heaving to quell the anger that Amy felt upon remembering Cream's eyes, the way they shone with sadness in their midst, she cleared her throat to gain Tails's attention. Tails's ear twitched but he carried on with his writing,

Amy, having grown tired of waiting, tapped Tails on the shoulder. She watched him jump, his hand skidding over the paper as he yelped in surprise. Amy bit back a chuckle as she gazed down at him, trying very hard to steel her stare.

"Amy why'd you scare me for?" said Tails, with a hand over his racing heart and in between deep breaths to calm himself down. "I just wanted to ask you a question. Do you think you make Cream happy?" Tails looked thrown off by the question. Amy saw that it had to take Tails a few moments to really think about an answer to the question, showing that he hadn't really thought about Cream's happiness before.

A few moments later he answered "I hope so. I always try my best to make her happy" with a small smile on his face. That brought Amy's annoyed level up at the fact that Tails had never questioned if Cream was happy or not, only assumed that her fake smiles and reassurances were true and that she was happy. Amy had never thought Tails would be so naïve or clueless about how Cream really felt. She had always thought Tails would have been clever enough to figure out Cream's needs and to have made her happy, to feel cherished and loved, not to feel completely thrown to one side like an old toy and replaced by his work.

"Do honestly think you make Cream happy? Are you blind?" Amy spat out, disbelief and rage clear in her voice. She couldn't believe how clueless Tails was despite him being so clever. Tails flinched slightly at Amy's outburst, disbelief and shock clearly evident in his eyes. "She's not happy?" Tails asked quietly, his doubts heard clearly in his voice. "Well would you be happy if she suddenly focused in her work instead of being with you? Would you like it if you were stuck in a cycle of little kisses and hugs when you want to take the relationship further? Well would you be happy or not?" She heaved out in a long breath.

Tails thought for a long moment before answering. "I wouldn't" he simply said. He looked down at the ground before looking back up at Amy and saying "Is that how she really feels?" "Yes" "How do you know?" "She told me today" "Why didn't she say anything?" Amy paused before answering. "Maybe she didn't want to worry you and kept it inside until she couldn't take it anymore. Though she is a very selfless person she does want some attention from you, not brushed aside by your work"

Tails looked down and put his hand inside his jacket and pulled out a small box. He then opened the box and showed Amy the content. Lying in velvet silk was a silver ring with a big diamond surrounded by smaller ones. Amy held back a gasp and a coon and instead said "Are you proposing to me Tails?" with a small smirk on her lips.

Tails closed the box while denying Amy's joke with wide eyes. "No, No!. I plan to propose to Cream, have been for the past few months. But you know me Amy I'm too shy for my own good. Even the thought of saying 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you as my wife' has me with a rock in my throat, sweating like I just ran a damn marathon and the urge to dash away and hide under a boulder over taking me. Plus I wasn't really sure whether she was ready or not, for she never said anything or gave any hints at taking this relationship further. I didn't want to push her by suddenly asking her to marry me"

Amy resisted the urge to face palm. This couple was so frustrating, worried about pushing each other with their needs that by keeping it to themselves they were hurting inside with the doubts and strains of their love. "Well trust me Tails; she's ready to take this relationship further. Tomorrow you know what you have to do otherwise it might be too late" with that said Amy left him as he thought about what he was going to do.

Amy exited the house, after calling out a goodbye to Cream and Tails, before making her way back home in the dark of the night. She glanced at her watch, the time reading at thirty minutes past nine and sighed at Cream and Tail's foolishness, wondering how two people could be so much alike and yet totally different at the same time. Which was why they were perfect for each other, making up for what the other didn't have. She wondered whether she would find someone for herself, her soulmate and was instantly saddened at the unlikely chances of finding the right man.

She envisioned herself as an old hedgehog, never married and having no kids to call her own. With her up-lifting mood lost to the possibility of being forever alone, Amy trudged the rest of the way home her steps heavy with depression.

Amy reached her apartment in a block of flats that was within walking distance from the bakery and Cream's house/mansion. It was a comfortable two bedroom flat, complete with a kitchen merged living room and bathroom. The rent was reasonably cheap, making it perfect for when a twelve year old hedgehog was looking for a place to call her own.

After climbing ten flights of stairs, dodging the rubbish outside of people's flats, she arrived at her flat. Once she was inside, she started getting ready for the end of the day. She had a shower to get rid of the smell of baked cookies that clung to her clothes and hair and once she was dry had her dinner which consisted of a salad with pieces of meat.

After cleaning up the dishes she went into the living room to watch some TV before going to bed; glaring at her TV at how small it is while wistfully thinking about how big Tails TV was. When her eye-lids started to droop, she turned off the TV and went to bed. As she lay underneath the covers of her bed, parts of her body starting to shut down and her mind slow with fatigue, her train of thought wondered what would happen tomorrow at the reunion. _I hope everyone comes tomorrow _was her parting thought as she slipped into a deep slumber where a certain hedgehog's eyes were a part of her dreams.

Ok chapter one is finally done. Hopefully this version is better than the old one, though I do feel that the ending is a bit rushed. Read and review if you enjoyed it. Will try to update more often; once I can juggle school, family, homework and my random moods of whether I want to write or not.


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